Sportsman&#39;s lantern holder



9 1959 F. J. GRAF SPORTSMANS LANTERN HOLDER Filed April 7, 1954 Grl will

INVENTOR.

FRANK J. GRAF ATTORNEYS United States Patent T SPORTSMANS LANTERN HOLDER Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,502

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-810) This invention relates to improvements in lantern holders, and refers more specifically to lantern holders useful in conjunction with small boats, particularly row boats.

The invention contemplates primarily the provision of a lantern holder having means to fixedly secure a lantern to a boat. A preferred method of effecting the above is to provide the lantern with means engageable in an opening of the boat such as the opening normally provided for an oar lock. This position is'extremely advantageous as it permits the lantern to be located outboard and provides means whereby the lantern holder and a lantern thereon may swing readily inboard.

,With the lantern positioned outboard of the boat the same is in a most convenient position for night fishing where is is desired to provide as much light as possible on the water. When desired either to provide intense light within the boat or to pass obstacles the holder may be readily swung inboard by hand or in the event an obstruction is encountered which strikes the holder, the holder mounted in accordance with the invention will itself usually freely swing inboard without damage to the holder or the lantern thereon.

A particular object of the invention is to provide the holder with means which securely retains a lantern thereon under the most severe of impacts, which impacts may be occasioned, for example, by water conditions, the striking of obstacles or hard usage.

Another object of the invention is to provide the holder with means which securely retains a lantern and simultaneously provides against the striking of the lantern itself on the holder by obstacles.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a lantern holder for small boats which requires no change in the structure of the boat for mounting; and which lantern holder is simple and reliable in construction having interchangeability of parts, is of low manufacturing cost, and yet also incorporates adjustable features for retention of various size lanterns, and in addition has further means for adjustably positioning the lantern itself with respect to the boat on which it is carried.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the structure of invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of invention mounted in one type of oar-lock opening;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the holder and a lantern mounted on a row boat with the holder secured in another arrangement of an oar-lock opening of a boat, the holder being located outboard;

Figure 4 is a view similar to that holder swung inboard; and

Figure 5 is a view in front elevation of a modification of the structure of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is indicated at 1 (Figure 3) and also at 1 (Figure 2), a portion of a of Figure 3 with the 2,867,403 7 Fatented Jan. 6, 1959 ICC row boat having an oar-lock opening in which a lantern holder is mounted.

Referring first to Figure 3 the opening 3 receives a pivot pin 5 in the form of a tapered somewhat conical shank position and the pin has a peripheral protuberance 7 which engages an upper portion ofthe oar-lock and suitably limits the entry of the pin 5 into the opening'3. The lower end 9 of the pin is free and in the more conventional oar-lock opening (Figure 2) the pin 5 is received in a metal sleeve 10;'in either mounting'pin 5 is freely pivotal. The pin and the remaining portions of the holder mounted therein and now to be described are as a unit, freely pivotally mounted, and accordingly the unit is readily movable from the position shownin Figure 3 to that illustrated in Figure 4.

The upper end of pivot 5 is provided with meansintegral therewith for fixedly positioning the angle of the pin or shank with respect to the remaining portions of the holder. This adjustable means includes a first radially serrated disc11 integral with the pin and a second radially serrated disc 13 fixedly secured to the plate 15, the two discs being secured together by a bolt 14 and wing nut 16. The plate 15 is itself mounted on the depending flange 17 which is integral withthe-base 19; the plate 15 is itself secured to the depending flange 17 by suitable bolts indicated at 21. Rotation of the disc 11 with the pin 5 relative to the fixed disc 13 attains the angle between the base 19 and a 1antern'23 thereon, and the pin 5 and the serrations of the discs provide for ready locking in any adjustable position by meansof the bolt and wing nut.

The base 19 which is preferably of sheet metal is provided on the side opposite the flange 17 with an upstanding'flange member 25 which is apertured to receive a headed bolt 27 having a wing nut 29 thereon. Secured to the upstanding flange by said bolt and nut' is a collar 31, also of sheet metal, and having a degree of resiliency, the collar being formed into two substantially equal portions 33, 35, the latter of which is slotted as at 37 to provide for adjusting the length of the collar.

The nut and bolt combination 27, 29 are positioned approximately centrally of the flange and sufficiently far above the base 19 that the collar 31 extends over the base to defin a spacing 39 (Figure 2) therewith.

Gasoline lanterns which are commonly employed (Figures 3 and 4) in outdoor activities in connection with boating, and particularly fishing, are normally provided with a lower extending lip as at 41 and this lip extends beneath the collar 31 toward the edge of the base and may in fact suitably extend slightly beyond the base if desired.

Collar 31 engages about the lantern at the area of the lip and securely retains the same in conjunction with the holder base.

To effectively secure tightening of the collar 31 about a lantern the free extending portion of the collar is provided at 43, 45 with radially extending elements which are apertured to receive bolt 47 and nut 49. Tightening of the nut 49 securely draws the resilient sheet metal portions together to securely retain a lantern within the spacing defined by the collar 31 and the base 19.

Referring briefly now to Figure 5, as shown therein means may be provided to securely retain the free ex tending portion of the collar 31 from any tendency towards vibratory movement which may be experienced under severe conditions as of rough water, for example. Thus there is secured about the bolt 47 an eyelet 51 of a spring member 53, which spring is tensioned and drawn down about the bolt 14 and secured by a hook 55. The eyelet is positioned on bolt 47 between the members 43, 45 when the same are bolted together and the hook 55 of the spring member is retained by a wing nut 16in the operative position of the device. The spring is eflective'to tightly unite the base of the holder, the collar and a lantern retained by the collar and base.

i As most clearlyshown in Figures 1 and 2 theholder is provided with a rearwardly extending lower flange 57 which extendsthe full Width oftheholder ,and'is suitably apertured to. receive a ,th'reade dly headed bolt 59, which bolt injtheFigure 2 arrangement is shown positioned upwardly to :pass the gunwale when the lantern is swung inboard. Theflange and bolt together are useful to secure the lanternholder to, forvexample, a seat of a rew boat. The threaded bolt 59 is readily removable from the'fiange 57 should the boat be of such construction thatthewbolt 59 .would interfere with the free swivellable movement of the holder when the same is positionedjn an:oar lock .opening; the flange being preferablyso constructed andarra'ng'ed with respect to the pivot pin 5 that theflange .-will p'assvthe boat side when the holder is pivotallysecured -in.the roar =lo'ck o n n ,Therehasthus been described a novel lantern holder for boatswhich is simple in. construction, readily'adaptable to various conditions, and which is inexpensive to manufacture. I p

,In the .use of the device described it is to be noted that ordinarily when rowing to a preferred location vfor fishing the lanternmay be securely fixed to a seat within the boat to provide light for operations, such as arrange ment of lines, etc. Upon arrival at the said location the oars will, normally ,be removed from the oar, locks and the-lanternmay be readily positioned in an-oar-lock opening. With'most row boats a double set ofoar-lo'ck openings are provided and'ifdesired the lantern may be always carried with the same positioned in the oarlock opening. -,When thus mounted the freely swivellable feature is'of particular importance for when approaching piers :orother obstacles the holder may readily accidentally contact: the obstacle, and with the structure of invention the holder and lantern swing easily inboard and are protected from damaging effects.

It will be understood that the invention is susceptible to modification in order to adopt it to different usages and conditions and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modificationswithinthis invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

In a lantern holder for use on small boats: a substantially horizontal base for the support of a'la'ntern, a flange integral with the base extending along one edge. of the base vertically upward therefrom, a collar'seciii'e'd to the flange and extending over said base thereabove and completely free-of the base to define a spacingitherewith through which a lower edge of a lantern may pass to be retained by the collar and base, a second flange depend ing from an edge of the base opposite the one edge, and means, including a pivot pin, extending downwardly of thebase from, the second flange for supporting the second, flange, base and fcollar, thepivot pin beingof circular cross-section and having a lower free end thereof receivable in \an oar-lock opening of a boat for, swinging m-ovemehtof theholder as a unitvwithrespect tothe boat 7 I References Citedin the file'ofthispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 56, 361 Brown July 17, 1866 482,086 Gr'idley Sept. 6, 1892 1,243,732 GbSS et al OCt; 23,1917 1,858,144 I 'Fariello May 10, 1932 1,858,656 Batherman 'May 17, 1932 2,531,626 Hull NOV. 28, 1950 2,655,337 Diesfeld Oct. 13,1953 2,656,454 Yacyshyn 'Oct. 20, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS V 533,886 France ;Dec. 21, I921 

